HDTV

[junebughunter]

I don't watch a lot of TV, I have a half-dozen shows or so I try to TiVo and keep up with before bed, or I just flip it on the Science Channel or Discovery until I go to sleep. Roughly a year ago I started researching this whole HDTV thing to see what it was all about. I am still surprised as to how much information is on the web about it, there is a lot, but nothing that was straight forward...I honestly believe this is why HDTV hasn't picked up as much speed quite yet. Consumers don't seem to know what it actually is

After having a new tv for some time that was HD capable and doing some research I requested to upgrade my families Comcast service to HD+DVR. They came out installed it. I saw some difference but didn't see what all the hype was about. I posted about being disappointed on a forum when they asked me how the installer hooked it up.

Turns out they only used RCA cables (Red, White, and Yellow for video) which is not capable of running HD signals, so it had to down convert it to broadcast quality. I complained to the cable company and they gave me component cables for the video and an optical to hook up to the theatre system.

WOW! I was, and still am blown away at the picture quality. So much so that I started to watch shows I didn't even like, I just liked seeing how clear things were. Not to mention the 5.1 sound. We also had a movie channel in HD so we could watch movies that were far better quality than even DVD's.

Some common misconceptions about HD is that DVD's are in HD, they are not, they are actually just broadcast quality, even if they are hooked up via Component...although some DVD players use the newest HD input standard of HDMI which upconverts the signal to 1080i or whatever format you select.

Also the only way to get your TV to display HD is with either, Component cables (analog standard), DVI (digital standard that is also used by high-end LCD monitors for computers) and HDMI. Even using one of those standards you may not actually be seeing HD, signal source has to send the video out at HD quality and the display has to change to an HD resolution. Like when you change the resolution on your computer screen.

As far as what HD actually is, think of it this way, standard broadcast is 720x480 pixels (a pixel is a dot like a camera picture) interlaced at 30 frames per second so 30 pictures per second at the size of 720x480 pixels. Most HD monitors can do 1920x1080 interlaced at 30 frames per second and the newest can do 1920x1080p which is 60fps.

It makes me a little sad when I see people by these big expensive tv's and don't actually take advantage of what they can do. If you have comcast HD is only $5 more a month and it's only $9.99 a month more with most sattelite providers.

[SB 405]

I have Comcast as well but the Culver City office ran out of HD boxes so i'm on a waiting list for about a week. I bought my HD TV about six months ago but never got around to ordering the box for it until a few days ago. I think Comcast has something like a dozen HD channels. HD DVD's are in the near future and I read by 2009 all TV stations must stop broadcasting in analog. I think HD broadcasting is only going to become more common like color TV was in the 60's. Funny when you go into these stores to look at TV's all of them have the same picture in HD playing and then you get home and plug in your old digital box the picture looks about half the quality it was in the store. Thank's for the tip on the cables,I'll make sure they set me up with the good stuff.

[not5150]

Just a minor correction... both interlaced and progressive produce 30 (actually 29.97) complete frames per second. Interlaced draws every other line and then comes back to fill in the remaining lines. Progressive does it in one shot.

At our office we have probably every computer HDTV tuner card known to man. It's amazing to plug an aerial antenna and pull an HD signal to your computer. Best of all... it's free!

[uoplax13]

Before I moved up to the boonies my roommates and I had HD.....ooh Sharks games in HD....so cool.

[junebughunter]

Just a minor correction... both interlaced and progressive produce 30 (actually 29.97) complete frames per second. Interlaced draws every other line and then comes back to fill in the remaining lines. Progressive does it in one shot.

At our office we have probably every computer HDTV tuner card known to man. It's amazing to plug an aerial antenna and pull an HD signal to your computer. Best of all... it's free!

I got mixed up now I'm trying to remember where I got the 60fps thing, but yeah you're right. BTW what HDTV tuner cards are available that run on a mac?




As for the cables, the best Comcast supplies free of charge is component cables but I believe their motorola boxes do have a DVI output. My basic understanding of it is DVI is an all digital signal, so it's possible, say you have an LCD that the signal is never converted to analog that's the best route to take if you can. Unfortunatly I only have component inputs on my tv...it's an Akai 47" projection tv. We got it at Costco for $899...the picture quality is great more than I expected out of it, although with bright reds over light colors there is a hint of ghosting.

We just got DirecTV today, they have more HD channels and I am told they'll be getting all the local channels in HD before the end of April the compromise was not having a DVR since I didn't want to come up with the $499 up front to get the TiVo DVR, and I also read th at the DirecTiVo HD boxes are still using the old dish so I wouldn't get the local channels in full HD anyway.


So now I'm trying to come up with a solution for a DVR...

[Mac]

I watch very little TV, so haven't jumped into the whole HD thing yet. I can't get excited about watching the news in HD - sports would be the main reason I'd get it....football and hockey in hi-def, yesssssssss. :razz: I'd go for DVR or TiVO first, as it would make it a lot easier to watch my favorite sports around my screwed-up work schedule! HD is very cool, it just hasn't climbed high enough on my priority list yet to make me itchy for it. One of my buddies has it though, and his house is a VERY popular place during football season!

[SB 405]

My brother-in-law has a 70 something inch HD TV with all the bells and whistles and when he puts on a sporting event you don't just watch it...you become part of it. :lol:

[bcjack]

NASCAR in HD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WOW:biggrin:

[Mac]

NASCAR in HD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WOW:biggrin:
Can you just IMAGINE how crisp and detailed all those left turns would look??? :lol:
(To any NASCAR fans - just joshin'!)

[SB 405]

HEY HEY HEY....NASCAR fan here and dem could be fightin' words.

[SB 405]

Hey junebug...In the third paragraph of your first post you write the installer used RCA cables. Do you think this was done because the guy didn't have the propper cables and was trying to cut a corner? Or do you think it was an honest mistake? Seems hard to believe a guy that does this all day would set it up with cable that won't pick up the HD signal. I want to know how much on my toes I need to be when they install mine. My TV is only 23" and doesn't have a sound system hooked up to it.

[junebughunter]

Hey junebug...In the third paragraph of your first post you write the installer used RCA cables. Do you think this was done because the guy didn't have the propper cables and was trying to cut a corner? Or do you think it was an honest mistake? Seems hard to believe a guy that does this all day would set it up with cable that won't pick up the HD signal. I want to know how much on my toes I need to be when they install mine. My TV is only 23" and doesn't have a sound system hooked up to it.

I wasn't there when he installed it, so I can't say what was going through his mind. Considering it was his job and he probably installs that several times a day it's hard to imagine it was an honest mistake. Even if he ran out of Component cables the least he could have done was hook up the RCA cables to the component out.

When I posted about it on AVS forums nobody else that had the same service mentioned that happening to them, so I was probably just unfortunate.

[TheForceCHP]

those HDMI and digital audio cables get expensive! though i have to say that the picture quality sure is nice;)

[SB 405]

Hey junebug...In the third paragraph of your first post you write the installer used RCA cables. Do you think this was done because the guy didn't have the propper cables and was trying to cut a corner? Or do you think it was an honest mistake? Seems hard to believe a guy that does this all day would set it up with cable that won't pick up the HD signal. I want to know how much on my toes I need to be when they install mine. My TV is only 23" and doesn't have a sound system hooked up to it.

I wasn't there when he installed it, so I can't say what was going through his mind. Considering it was his job and he probably installs that several times a day it's hard to imagine it was an honest mistake. Even if he ran out of Component cables the least he could have done was hook up the RCA cables to the component out.

When I posted about it on AVS forums nobody else that had the same service mentioned that happening to them, so I was probably just unfortunate.Well I had the HD box installed yesterday and I see what you you mean junebug about watching anything as long as it's in the HD format. I'm sitting home last night watching some nature show for the simple reason the picture/colors are so unbelievable. Makes me wish I'd bought a bigger TV.

[TheForceCHP]

on mond. i was watching 24 on Fox and after one of the commercials the audio was off from the visual, so i switched it over to regular, non-HD signal, and wow did i notice the color difference really quickly!